Christ in all the scriptures
Manna from heaven Exodus 16 and Numbers 11
"Then said the Lord unto Moses, behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no"-Exodus 16v4.
God rained food from heaven upon a pilgrim people travelling through a wilderness. This was a miraculous provision every morning of their 40 year sojourn on the way to the promised land. The delivery was miraculous, descending on the droplets of dew. There was no contact with earth, and the food was of the finest quality, it was equally miraculous, fit for the rigours of desert existence. Scripture terms it "the corn of heaven"-Psalm 78v24; "angels food"-Psalm 78v25; "the bread of heaven"-Psalm 105v40. Restaurateurs charge a premium price for the finest of food, God gave them the best of heaven, freely; the best that He knew would sustain them in trying circumstances. However some among them despised it, describing it as "light bread". The dissatisfaction spread throughout the camp and the complaint was, "...our soul loatheth this light bread"-Numbers 21v5. They hankered back to the food of Egypt, the fish, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic (Numbers 11v5). Choosing to forget the bitter bondage of slavery, when they were made to serve with hardship, they remembered only the food that was to their taste. The Spirit of God, through Paul in 1st Corinthians 10v6, commented that this was a "lusting after evil things". There is nothing intrinsically evil in the foods mentioned; the evil consists in the fact that God had given them something better, superior to Egypt, and they had rejected God's gift to them. God was putting them to the test to prove if they would trust Him. The greater part of them failed.
He rained Manna from heaven, which covered the ground around every dwelling. But what of the Manna
Manna, literally means "What is it"? They had never seen the like. There was nothing to compare it to. It was small, it was round, the colour of coriander seed, and tasted sweet like honey. It could be baked into bread or cakes, and had a brief shelf life. Jesus interprets the Manna for the present day in John chapter 6. Following the feeding of 5000 men beside women and children, He expounded the true meaning of the Manna, and its implications for today. He said He is the true bread from heaven-John 6v32; He is the bread of God, that is the bread on which God Himself feeds-6v33; He is the bread that gives life to the world-6v33. He said, in one of the great "I AM" claims, "I am the bread of life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger..."-6v35; "I am that bread of life"-6v48; "I am the living bread, which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world"-6v51; "This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever"-6v58. Jesus is the fulfilment of the type which was manna. What food is to the body, Christ is to the soul. It is well said, that we are what we eat, our food becomes one with our body. So in the realm of the spiritual. Israel had to change their diet, after leaving Egypt. In the same way the Christian has to change their diet, spiritually speaking; what we fed on before is unsuitable for the new life. Each one must decide what that means for themselves. In the circle of professing Christianity, there is tendency to take the attitude of the old life into what is a close knit society. This can result in "feeding on the faults of others", instead of feeding on the delights of Christ.
Christ is the food of the believer! How much is this my experience, really? He, alone, feeds the spirit and the soul, and He is superior to anything the world has to offer. This is the lesson of the Manna, and the meaning behind the word "What is it?" He is without compare in all the world; take your most exhilarating moment in life, and compare it to one moment with Christ. As the hymn puts it "Are all earthly pleasures worth comparing, to a moment with a Christ filled life?" The Apostles who were nearest to Him in life expressed it, "We beheld His glory (the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth"-John 1v14. John, writing to the churches in his old age, said, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life...That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you..."-1st John 1v1-3; why did he put it in the neuter gender, saying that and not He? Simply that there was no one to compare with Him, and so he sets Him apart. He is apart, He is so much better than anyone or anything we have known, and we feed on Him for our spiritual nourishment. If He satisfies God (He is the bread of God), He can more than satisfy us and build us up, and help us grow in new life.
Some practical things to come out of the story of the Manna:
Christ is found in the scriptures, a fact we are enjoying now. Feeding on the scriptures is feeding on Him. Gather a portion each day, enough for the day. Do not let one day go by without learning more of Him. Gather early in the day before the issues of life take over. Share what you learn with those closest to you. God has given us a library of 66 books to reveal Him, and the study of Him is the greatest occupation on earth.
Some lovely aspects of the Manna that speak of Christ:
It was small-His humility; it was round-His eternity; it was sweet-His delectability (Peter quoted the Psalm "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good"); it was like coriander seed (Numbers 11v7)-His beauty; the colour of bdellium (a crystalline precious stone)-His transparency.
There is enough in Christ to fill our lives in all the wilderness journey until we reach our eternal home.
Feed on Him, not on the chaos of the world, or the failings of others. Make Him your occupation of thought, the subject of your conversations, the delight of your heart, and experience the life of Christ in you, life more abundant than ever before. As often is the case, the hymnwriter catches the truth. Written around 1160 a.d. the French Abbott Bernard of Clairvaux penned these lovely words: source Hymnary.org
1 Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts,
Thou fount of life, Thou light of men,
from the best bliss that earth imparts,
we turn unfilled to Thee again.
2 Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
Thou savest those that on Thee call;
to them that seek Thee, Thou art good,
to them that find Thee all in all.
3 We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,
and long to feast upon Thee still;
we drink of Thee, the Fountain-head,
and thirst our souls from Thee to fill.
4 Our restless spirits yearn for Thee,
where'er our changeful lot is cast;
glad when Thy gracious smile we see,
blest when our faith can hold Thee fast.
5 O Jesus, ever with us stay,
make all our moments calm and bright;
chase the dark night of sin away;
shed o'er the world Thy holy light.
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